Council Meeting Highlights

Nov 29, 2021

Cleveland (Nov. 29, 2021) – City Council held its regular weekly meeting tonight. The next and last council meeting for the year will be held Monday, December 6.

Here are tonight’s highlights:

*Authorized the execution of a cooperative agreement between Cuyahoga County, the City of Cleveland, Gateway Development Corp. and the Cleveland Guardians Baseball Club relating to repairs, upkeep and modernization of Progressive Field.

The parties to the agreement will provide financing, operations, repairs, upkeep and new construction projects. The agreement sets up an improvement fund to which the parties will contribute. The city, county and state of Ohio will provide two-thirds of contributions to the fund – with the city’s portion $8 million a year - and the baseball team will contribute one-third. The agreement extends the lease and  keeps the team in downtown Cleveland through at least 2036. (Ord. No. 844-2021)

*Authorized ARPA funds appropriations for the Department of Public Safety $26,384,315; Departments of Community and Economic Development $80,325,000; Department of Building and Housing (Demolitions) $15 million; and Department of Law - Professional Services $ 191,000.

Only the Public Safety appropriations have been assigned for specific purchases with more than $10.2 million for Police equipment, including bikes, cars, SUVs, motorcycles, helmets, shields, computers and other equipment. More than $3.6 million for the Division of Fire including breathing air compressors and fill stations, exhaust systems, rescue tools, computer upgrades and more. EMS received more than $7.8 million for 15 new ambulances, five new SUVs, 45 new cardiac monitors and more than 30 new medical cots. Animal Control and Safety IT were also included. (Ord. No. 843-2021)

*Authorized the city to sell a city-owned building that it currently leases to the Near West Multi-Service Corp. – also known as the May Dugan Center, which is a life-line for many poor and destitute people.

Both the city and May Dugan want to terminate the lease and sell the property at 4115 Bridge St. to May Dugan, a move that will support future expansion of the center. May Dugan currently holds a lease on the property that ends in 2038. The property has been appraised at $540,000. May Dugan must provide discounted or free health services to Cleveland residents in an amount up to the appraised value of the building, or pay the appraised value. (Ord. No. 945-2021)

*Approved two pieces of legislation for The Orlando Baking Co., one approving a sale of city-owned properties located along Opportunity Corridor and a TIF (tax increment financing) agreement.

The city is selling about 17 acres to Orlando, which has partnered with Westin, to develop a public refrigerated warehouse on the site immediately south of them across the Opportunity Corridor. The initial commercial freezer will be approximately 150,000 square feet, of which Orlando will operate in about 50,000 square feet and the remainder will be leased to commercial food companies in and around Cleveland. The project is estimated to cost  approximately $31.6 million.

Orlando Baking has been operating in the Central neighborhood for decades, employing over 300 at their current facility. They have been expanding in place for years and are bursting at the seams, while renting cold storage in other cities.

This cold storage development will benefit not only Orlando, but many of Cleveland’s existing food manufacturers, as well as creating a competitive advantage for the attraction of other food-related businesses in and around the Corridor. The project site will include sufficient space for development of 100,000 additional square feet of cold storage as well as potential retail development on the Opportunity Corridor frontage. (Ord. Nos 993 and 997-2021)

*Approved legislation amending an earlier ordinance passed in August to add two mobile health vans to be purchased to the list of vehicles council approved for purchase. The mobile health vans will be used to make health care, including exams, vaccinations, testing and other services, more accessible. Each van is expected to cost about $575,000 or $1.15 million for both. Ord. No. 1072-2021.